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Poussey Washington
Poussey Washington is an inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. She is portrayed by Samira Wiley. Biography Before Litchfield Poussey had a very close relationship with her mother. When she was a child, they would read together before going to bed ("Mother's Day"). Poussey was a "military brat," as her father, James P. Washington, was a major in the United States Army. He moved the family to Hohenfels, Bavaria, Germany where he was stationed. While in Germany, Poussey had a relationship with a German Commander's daughter named Franziska. The relationship was revealed when the German Commander walked in while Poussey and Franziska were having sex. He then used his influence to get her father reassigned to a post in the United States. Poussey tries to get rid of her feelings, but she ends up confronting the German commander and attempts to pull out a gun. Her father stops her and announces that he is okay with her sexuality ("You Also Have a Pizza"). Season One Poussey has been in prison for two years at the start of the series and has four years left. Her mother died during her second year in prison. She was named after the town of "Poussey" in North-eastern France, where her father was stationed when she was born, and often finds herself on the receiving end of mockery by the other inmates because of its alternative pronunciation. Poussey is a good-natured jokester and is often seen with her best friend Taystee, working together in the library or joking around in the rec room or mess hall. Poussey gave a bottle of the hooch to friends to help them mourn the death of Tricia Miller, showing her kind nature. Season Two It is implied that Poussey is in love with Taystee, who seems to not return her romantic feelings. Poussey makes toilet hooch for her friends, which Vee hopes to sell for profit, but Poussey rejects this idea. To avenge this perceived lack of loyalty and loss of potential business, Vee uses Poussey's unreciprocated romantic feelings for Taystee to isolate her from the tribe ("A Whole Other Hole"). She separates Poussey and Taystee, causing a rift in their relationship. Poussey is one of the few black inmates not to fall for Vee's charms, and begins a long campaign to fight her throughout the season. Eventually, Poussey causes irreparable damage to Vee's tobacco business by smashing up several tins of tobacco and pouring bleach on them. Realizing that no amount of intimidation will stop her, Vee decides to mollify Poussey by ejecting Taystee from the gang, and the two later make up after a physical fight in the library. Season Three Poussey becomes depressed and turns to alcoholism. She also submerges herself in Crazy Eye's new sci fi erotica stories. She realizes she feels so sad because she needs a girlfriend. Taystee reassures her that she will always be there for Poussey, but Poussey states that would not be enough. Poussey discovers Soso in the library after she overdosed on antihistamines. Along with Taystee and Crazy Eyes, they rehabilitate Soso back to normal health. Later, at the beach behind Litchfield, Poussey and Soso are seen holding hands ("Trust No Bitch"). Personality Poussey is a funny, outspoken and caring woman who stands by her personality and convictions. She likes to joke around with her fellow inmates and tends to avoid confrontation and violence. She loves her job in Litchfield working in the library, because she loves books - that's why she gives her best to save the books, when the prison is flooded or when the books should be burned 'cause of tick infestation and also holds a memorial ceremony for the most precious books together with Taystee who also loves books. Another affection of her is watching cooking TV series like Judy King at Home. ''She also sometimes plays football on the prison yard. Poussey also speaks fluent German which she learned while living in Hohenfels, a U.S. army base in southern Germany. Her caring side is e.g. showed through her effort to help her friend Taystee when she is preparing for her release with a mock interview, but also by her caring for Soso when she is bullied by Leanne and the other Norma-worshippers and later saving her after her suicide attempt. It gets also very clear when she is first disappointed of Taystee after returning to Litchfield prison, even though she was released and Poussey really missed her. When young criminals visit the prison, she volunteers to "teach them a lesson", but can't really bring herself to say mean things to a girl sitting in a wheel chair. She always tries to be strong and stands up for who she is and what she believes in. For example, she stood up to her german girlfriend's father and stayed true to her homosexuality. She also rebelles against Vee, confronts her personally and doesn't let herself be intimidated by her when she starts to pull off a heroin dealing commerce, because she rejects the use of hard drugs and kind of anticipates the danger that emanates from Vee and therefore worries about her friends. With her time in the prison, she more and more shows a vulnerable side of her. She feels very lonely and ''real love is what she is needing the most. That picture of her is supported by her moved description of love (what exactly fits to her behaviour together with Taystee): : "It's just chilling, you know? Kicking it with somebody, talking, making mad stupid jokes. And, like, not even wanting to go to sleep, 'cause then you might be without 'em for a minute. And you don't want that." : — Poussey, answering the question "What is love?" She is confronted with again awaken memories of the death of her beloved mother, with her unrequited romantic feelings for her best friend Taystee and later with being abondoned by her friends and especially Taystee and also with being attacked by Suzanne and left without help, both inisciated by Vee, so that she even comes to the conclusion that there "was nothing left to lose" for her. She first seeks help in Healy's "Safe Place", but when she can't handle her feelings anymore and gets more and more desperate with her situation, she tries to drown them with drinking alcohol and her submersion into Suzanne's erotic sci fi story and later with being part of the cult centered around Norma (instead of going to the AA, as Taystee's advised to her.) : "Did ever occur to you that we don't wanna get in touch with our feelings? That actually feeling our feelings might make it impossible to survive in here?" : — Poussey, when she is visiting Healy's "Safe Place" Even though Suzanne has punched her out by the command of Vee and Poussey has been really angry at her, she later forgives her, which again shows her kind nature. Physical Appearance Poussey is beautiful, has short black hair and brown skin. Relationships Romantic *Taystee (Unrequited crush during Season 2 and earlier, current status unknown) *Brook Soso (Possible romantic interest as of the end of Season 3) *Franziska (Prior to series start) Friends * Taystee -Taystee and Poussey are best friends. They often joke around as Amanda and Mackenzie, their rich white girl alter egos. Poussey has clear romantic feelings for Taystee, who is unsure if she returns the crush. In season 2, Taystee joins Vee's gang selling cigarettes, and encourages Poussey to join too. When things sour between Poussey and Vee, the friendship between Poussey and Taystee is strained and later broken, after Taystee is booted from Vee's gang because of Poussey's sabotaging of the tobacco business. The girls eventually make up after a physical confrontation in the library, and resume their close friendship. * Janae Watson- Poussey and Janae share a bunk, and Poussey is known to defend Janae, especially when it comes to Janae spending inordinate amounts of time in the SHU. When Janae was sent to the SHU for possessing cigarettes in her bunk and came back a month later, Poussey tried to smack some sense into her, showing that Poussey cares about Janae. * Black Cindy - While Taystee was out of prison, and Watson was spending time in the SHU, Cindy and Poussey were seen hanging out quite often. They are both part of the core group of black inmates, and are often seen laughing and joking together. * Nicky Nichols - In the library, Nicky is seen asking Poussey for a cigarette. When the alarm goes off, Nicky gives Poussey advice about her unrequited love for Taystee. Later, when Poussey witnesses Taystee pushing heroin to Nicky, who is a former addict, Poussey is visibly upset by this. Also, in Season One, Poussey and the other black girls brought Nicky and her gang a bottle of hooch, as well as other assorted food items, to help with the mourning of Tricia Miller. * Brook Soso - During the third season Poussey is the only one of Norma's followers who offers Soso any sympathy, and calls the others out on bullying her; though she stops defending her when Soso starts acting rude in retaliation to bullying. At the end of the season Poussey, along with Taystee and the others in their pack, saves Brook's life after her suicide attempt. In the last episode Poussey reaches out to Soso, taking her hand during the swimming in the lake and pulls her into her social circle where the other black girls welcome her. Enemies * Yvonne "Vee" Parker - Vee and Poussey never got along. When Vee was apologizing to Taystee with cake, Poussey looked skeptical of Vee's character. Poussey tried to persuade the other girls that Vee couldn't be trusted, to no avail. Though Poussey tried to befriend Vee, for Taystee's sake, she gave up when she found out about the heroin. At the end, Poussey got her friends back, and she was able to confront Vee. * German base commander - He broke up Poussey and his daughter's relationship. He also told Poussey's father that there is special therapy for "confused girls like Poussey," which made Poussey try to kill him. Quotes Gallery Season 1 Promotional Pictures Poussey.jpg Poussey Washington.jpg Season 2 Promotional Pictures PousseyS2Promotional.jpg Others pousseyquote1.jpg pousseyquote2.jpg pousseyquote3.png pousseyquote4.jpg pousseyquote5.jpg Trivia * She's an Aries.Season 1: Episode 11 - 45:37 Category:Litchfield Inmates Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Season 2 Characters Category:Season 3 Characters